Wire and rod handling apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is provided for pressing and binding bundles of wire which are delivered in succession from a loop collector which apparatus includes a loading station receiving bundles from the loop collector, a pressing and binding station and a discharge station, a rotary table for transporting bundles from one station to another, the pressing and binding station being disposed outside the periphery of the rotary table and carriage means receiving bundles and movable from the rotary table into the individual stations and back to the rotary table when the latter is aligned therewith.

United States Patent Nuckel [54] WIRE AND ROD HANDLING APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Norbert Nuckel, Solingen, Germany [73] Assignee: Friedrich Kocks [22] Filed: Aug. 19, 1971 [21] Appl. No.2 172,977

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 19, 1970 Germany ..P 20 41 181.8

[52] US. Cl. ..100/7, 100/3, 100/215,

100/218 [51] Int. Cl. .,....B65b 13/02 [58] Field ofSearch ..l0O/3, 7,215,218, 12

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,139,024 6/1964 Laine.... ..lOO/7 3,195,444 7/1965 McLean ..100/7 3,251,294 5/1966 Hill et a1. ..100/7 X 3,304,960 2/1967 Keusemann et al ..100/7 X Oct. 24, 1972 3,336,860 8/1967 Sawyer et a1..... ..100/7 x 3,583,311 6/1971 Hill et a1. ..'..100/3 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,049,294 l/l959 Germany ..100/3 1,026,388 4/1966 Great Britain ..100/12 1,801,178 4/1970 Germany ..100/12 Primary Exam/M43110 J. Wilhite Attorney-Buell, Blenko & Ziesenheim [57] ABSTRACT l0 Claiins, 3 Drawing Figures fig.

PATENTEDUBT 24 1972 SHEET 1 UF 3 //7 rm far Norbert Nuckel PATENTED um 24 '97 3.6 99 8-80 sum 3 OF 3 fig. 3

' l/lre/zlarx Norbert Nuckel WIRE AND ROD HANDLING APPARATUS This invention relates to wire and rod handling apparatus and particularly to an apparatus for pressing and binding bundles of wire or rod which are delivered in a continuous succession from a loop collector disposed at the output end of a wire rolling mill or rod mill, having a loading station to which the rough bundles are fed from the loop collector, a pressing and binding station, a discharge station, and a rotary table by which the bundles are transportable from one station to another.

Such apparatus, which is normally arranged directly downstream of the cooling path of the wire rolling mill and which operates in synchronism with the wire rolling mill, is particularly suitable for pressing and binding very large bundles of wire or rod which are difficult to transport when they are not bound.

In a previously proposed apparatus of the above kind, the individual stations are arranged around a rotary table in such a way that they project directly across the rotary table and process the bundles in their position on the rotary table. The bundles of wire areautomatically fed to the individual stations during rotation of the table, so that they may be sequentially pressed, bound, and finally removed from the rotary table. This apparatus operates satisfactorily provided no faults occur at the individual stations during operation. However, the rotary table is blocked if a fault occurs in the pressing and binding at any station, so that the entire removal of the bundles is interrupted. Consequently, the entire rolling mill has to be shut down.

One feature of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above mentioned kind in which, even when faults occur in the pressing and binding station, the wire loops which are delivered from the cooling path, and which are collected into bundles, are reliably removed without in any way affecting the operation of the wire rolling or rod mill.

In accordance with the invention, the pressing and binding station is arranged outside the rotary table, and movable carriages are provided for receiving the bun dles, which carriages are movable from the rotary table into the individual stations and from the latter onto the rotary table when the latter is in a corresponding position.

If a fault should occur in the pressing and binding station in the apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, the subsequent bundles may be guided past the defective station in a simple manner, since the conveying path for the bundles is always free owing to the fact that the station is located outside the periphery of the rotary table.

If only a single pressing and binding station is provided, the non-pressed and non-bound bundles of wire may be conveyed directly to the removing station and, if required, bound manually. Advantageously, however, a second or stand-by pressing and binding station is provided which can assume the function of the first pressing and binding station if a fault should occur in the latter. In this case, a substitute carriage, which is movable onto the rotary table, may be provided to take the place of the carriage remaining in the defective station.

In order that the respective operations may be performed at the various stations simultaneously, the stations are offset relative to one another by the same angle around the rotary table. Thus, in all stopping positions of the rotary table, a fresh bundle of wire may be deposited onto, the table at the loading station, a bundle of wire may be processed by the. pressing and binding devices in the pressing and binding station, and a finished bundle of wire may be removed from the table at the discharge station.

Advantageously, the drive devices for the carriages, which are couplable to and releasable from they carriages, are arranged on the rotary table, the number of i drive devices provided being equal to the number of stations. The drive devices may be provided with respective, radially arranged actuating cylinders secured adjacent the center of the rotary table.

In order that the bundles loosely formed from the wire loops may be adequately guided, the ends of the drive devices facing the respective carriages may have a vertical guide for the wire loops, while the ends of the carriages remote from .the respective drive devices are provided with further guides.

The invention is further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: I

FIG. 1 is a section, taken on the line II in FIG. 2, of wire pressing and bundling apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, partially sectioned along the line 11l1 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a section, similar to that of FIG. 2, of a second embodiment of the apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawings, apparatus, constructed in accordance with the invention, includes a rotary table 2 arranged directly downstream of a cooling path 4 connected on the output side of a wire rolling mill or rod mill. The underside of the rotary table 2 has an annular rail 6 which extends around the table and which is supported on rollers 8 to enable the table to be rotated by a drive means (not illustrated in the drawings). The outside of each of the rollers 8 is provided with a flange 10 for guiding the table, the rollers being journalled in bearing blocks 14 rigidly connected to a base 12.

The table 2 may be of circular construction, although, as illustrated in the drawings, it is adequate for the table to have arms 16 which are equal in number to the number of the stations and which are located in juxtaposition to the corresponding station when the table is in any one of its stopping positions.

Four stations are provided in the two embodiments illustrated in the drawings, i.e., a loading station 18, a first pressing and binding station 20, a second pressing and binding station 22 serving as a stand-by station, and a removing station 24. The four stations are offset by relative to one another around the rotary table and, consequently, the rotary table 2 has four arms 16 which are also offset by 90 relative to one another and which cooperate with the four stations 18, 20, 22 and 24.

The loading station 18 is arranged directly below a cylindrical loop collector 26 which is provided at the end of the cooling path 4. The top end of the collector 26 is widened in a funnel-shaped manner and so as to receive the rod or wire loops as they are delivered from the cooling path in overlapping relationship. The lower end of the collector 26 is closable by means of a base plate 28. The base plate may be divided in the center, the two portions being uniformly movable away from one another towards opposite sides, so that the bundled loops can drop into the loading station 18.

Carriages 30, which are movable radially relative to the rotary table 2, are provided for receiving the bundies of wire or rod located on the rotary table 2. The carriages run on rails 32 which are secured to the top of the table 2 and which are alignable with extension rails at the individual stations so that the carriages may be moved from the rotary table into the stations and out of the stations again while the rotary table is in a corresponding stopping position.

For the purpose of displacing the carriages, four drive devices in the form of actuator cylinders 34 are rigidly connected to the top of the rotary table 2. These cylinders are secured adjacent the center of the rotary table and lie radially in the direction of the four arms 16 of the rotary table. The ends of the drive devices are provided with couplings 36 which are connectible to and releasable from the carriages 30 so that the carriages may be displaced from the rotary table into the stations and out of the stations onto the rotary table, or they may be left in the individual stations.

Each carriage has an upper support plate 38 which is removable, so that, when the support plate is empty, it may be raised at the loading station 18 to a position immediately below the base plate 28 of the loop collector 26 by means of an elevator 42 equipped with a fork 40 and, corresponding to the speed of the wire loops entering the collector, may be slowly lowered.

The coupling ends of the drive devices are provided with vertical guides 44 for the purpose of guiding the wire loops dropping onto the support plate 38 and for retaining the loops on the carriage during conveyance to the other stations, while the ends of the carriages 30 remote from the drive devices have two further guides 46 arranged at the corners of the carriages.

The loading station 18 is followed by the first pressing and binding station 20 which is offset by 90 in the main direction of rotation of the table 2 and at which the loose bundles are pressed together by means of an hydraulic pressing device 48 and bound at three places by means of binding devices 50.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a second or stand-by pressing and binding station 22 is arranged directly opposite the first pressing and binding station 20, whereas, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the second pressing and binding station 22' is located opposite the loading station 18. All other parts of the embodiment of FIG. 3 are identical to those of FIGS. 1 and 2 and bear like numerals with a prime sign.

A discharge station 24, in the same manner as the two pressing and binding stations 20 and 22, is arranged outside the periphery of the rotary table 2 and is located opposite the loading station 18 in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and opposite the first pressing and binding station 20 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3. A tiltable table 52 at the discharge station 24 is tiltable from a horizontal position into the vertical position illustrated in FIG. 1 by means of an hydraulic cylinder 54. When in the horizontal position, the top of the tiltable table 52 is located in the same plane as the top of the rotary table 2, so that the rele- Referring to the drawings, the tiltable table 52 is secured to a frame 60 which is movable transversly of the rotary table 2. The frame 60 is substantially twice the width of the tiltable table 52 and provides space for a substitute carriage 300 which is required if a fault occurs in the pressing and binding station which is operating and the relevant carriage has to remain in the latter station. The carriage 30a is mounted on rails 32a which are provided on the frame 60 and which can be aligned with the rails 32 on the rotary table 2 when the frame 60 is correspondingly displaced, so that the substitute carriage 30a can be moved onto the rotary table. 1 v

The mode of operation of the apparatus is as follows. The wire loops issuing from the cooling path 4 are in the first'instance received by the loop collector 26 whose bottom 28 is still closed. As soon as the rotary table 2 has moved an empty carriage 30 below the loop collector 26, the removable support plate 38 of the carriage 30 is engaged by the fork 40 of the elevator 42 and raised to directly below the loop collector 26. The two parts of the centrally divided base plate 28 of the loop collector are then uniformly moved apart towards both sides, so that the wire loops located in the loop collector, and the further wire loops coming continuously from the cooling path 4, drop onto the support plate 38 which, in conformity with the speed of the following wire loops, is gradually lowered to the carriage 30 located at the loading station 18. The fork 40 of the elevator 42 is then released from the support plate after the latter is again resting on the table.

The base plate 28 is closed when the last wire loop has passed through the loop collector, sothat the loop collector is ready to receive the wire loops produced during the next pass. The rotary table 2 is at the same time rotated through so that the carriage 30 carrying the fresh bundle is located in front of the pressing and binding station 20. By advancing the corresponding drive device, the carriage, together with the bundle, is moved into the pressing and binding station 20 in which the bundle is pressed and bound at three places.

When the pressing and binding devices have been returned to their initial positions, the carriage 30, together with the finished bundle, is returned to the rotary table 2 from the pressing and binding station 20.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the finished bundle of wire is conveyed to the discharge station 24 by further rotation of the rotary table 2 through 90. The carriage is then moved onto the tiltable table 52 and released from the drive device which moves back onto the rotary table. The tiltable table 52 is pivoted upwardly through 90 after the tiltable table has been rigidly connected to the carriage 30 located thereon, so that the wire bundle 56 is brought into the horizontal position from which it may be readily carried away. After the bundle has been removed, the tiltable table 52 is again tilted into the horizontal. The carriage 30 is released from the tiltable table 52, connected to the drive device which has been advanced in the meantime, and is finally retracted onto the rotary table, so that it is again located in the loading station after two further working cycles.

If faults occur in the pressing and binding station 20, the drive device is released from the carriage 30 located in the defective station and is retracted onto the rotary table 2, while the carriage remains in the pressing and binding station together with the bundle of wire. The substitute carriage a located adjacent the pivotable table 52 is then moved laterally into the discharge station 24 and, after rotation of the rotary table 2 through 90, is drawn onto the rotary table by the corresponding drive device.

If a second pressing and binding station is not provided, the non-pressed and non-bound bundles issuing from the loop collector are conveyed past the defective station into the discharge station.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the direction of rotation of the rotary table is changed in the event of a corresponding fault, so that the fresh bundles are fed to the second pressing and binding station 22. Thus, the apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention can continue to operate in the same manner without interruption.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, in which the second pressing and binding station 22 is located opposite the loading station 18, the direction of rotation of the rotary table 2' is maintained and the fresh bundles are conducted past the defective pressing and binding station 20 and, processed and finally pressed and bound in the second station 22', are fed to the discharge station 24.

In the foregoing specification, I have set out certain preferred embodiments of my invention, however, it will be understood that this invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for pressing and binding bundles of wire which are delivered in a continuous succession from a loop collector connected at the output end of a wire rolling or rod mill, comprising a loading station for receipt of the rough bundles from the loop collector, a pressing and binding station, a discharge station, a rotary table for transporting the bundles from one station to another, the pressing and binding station being disposed outside the periphery of the rotary table and movable carriages for receiving the bundles, which carriages are movable from the rotary table into the individual stations and from the latter onto the rotary table when the latter is in a corresponding position.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second stand-by pressing and binding station is provided outside the periphery of the rotary table and spaced from the other stations.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a substitute carriage is provided adjacent the table which is movable onto the rotary table.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein a displaceable frame is provided at the discharge station adjacent the table for bringing the substitute carriage into position at the discharge station for movement of the substitute carriage onto the rotary table.

5. Apparatus as cla1med1n claim 1 wherein a tiltable table is provided at the discharge station for tilting the bundles from the vertical to the horizontal.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the tiltable table is pivoted to a displaceable frame at the discharge station and a substitute carriage is provided on said displaceable frame.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the several stations are disposed about the rotary table and are offset relative to one another by the same angle.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which drive devices for the carriages are provided on the rotary table and are couplable to and releasable from the carriages, the number of drive devices provided being equal in number to the number of stations.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which each of the drive devices has a radially disposed actuator cylinder secured adjacent the center of the rotary table.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which the ends of the drive devices facing the respective carriages have a vertical guide for the wire loops, and the ends of the carriages remote from the respective drive devices are provided with further guides for the wire loops. 

1. Apparatus for pressing and binding bundles of wire which are delivered in a continuous succession from a loop collector connected at the output end of a wire rolling or rod mill, comprising a loading station for receipt of the rough bundles from the loop collector, a pressing and binding station, a discharge station, a rotary table for transporting the bundles from one station to another, the pressing and binding station being disposed outside the periphery of the rotary table and movable carriages for receiving the bundles, which carriages are movable from the rotary table into the individual stations and from the latter onto the rotary table when the latter is in a corresponding position.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second stand-by pressing and binding station is provided outside the periphery of the rotary table and spaced from the other stations.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a substitute carriage is provided adjacent the table which is movable onto the rotary table.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein a displaceable frame is provided at the discharge station adjacent the table for bringing the substitute carriage into position at the discharge station for movement of the substitute carriage onto the rotary table.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a tiltable table is provided at the discharge station for tilting the bundles from the vertical to the horizontal.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the tiltable table is pivoted to a displaceable frame at the discharge station and a substitute carriage is provided on said displaceable frame.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the several stations are disposed about the rotary table and are offset relative to one another by the same angle.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which drive devices for the carriages are provided on the rotary table and are couplable to and releasable from the carriages, the number of drive devices provided being equal in number to the number of stations.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which each of the drive devices has a radially disposed actuator cylinder secured adjacent the center of the rotary table.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which the ends of the drive devices facing the respective carriages have a vertical guide for the wire loops, and the ends of the carriages remote from the respective drive devices are provided with further guides for the wire loops. 